East Depot: (
Satellite)
Museum/West Depot: (
Satellite)
Railyard: (
Satellite, all of the yard tracks have been removed)
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Stan Carlson posted
The north end of the yard at East Salamanca NY in the early 1950’s. The photo was taken from the roof of the company storehouse, and shows the four rip tracks that the car department used for repairs. It appears that a number of boxcars are getting new doors, possibly per AAR requirements. The car department at East Salamanca employed some 450 men well into the 1960’s. The smoke in the distance was almost certainly from one of the two 0-8-0 switchers that held yard chores then. Either class L-2 number 709, or class L-1 number 1003. All of the ex BR&P class L-4 0-8-0 locomotives which had served the yard for nearly 20 years, were sent elsewhere.
John Listermann: Cool. Not may model railroaders think to have a RIP track on their railroad. Mine doubles for RIP and MOW.
Pundtra Sanjaya posted with the same comment
John Laughner: Surprised , thought major car repair done in DuBoise. Also thought coal was major traffic when visiting Ridgeway back in the fifties. Appears they had lots of thru merchandise traffic too. |
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Stan Carlson posted
East Salamanca yard in 1958. Photo taken by an insurance agent for an accident claim when a yard man lost his foot. Steam had been off the division for three years when this picture was taken, but most of the locomotive shops were still intact including the 30 stall roundhouse. A westbound freight behind a set of F units is pulling out of the south yard, bound for Riker yard in Punxsutawney. The wye track is visible on the left. It was also part of the Salamanca branch which went to the Salamanca station on main st, and connected with the Erie RR along with a handful of industries that were serviced by the B&O. |
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The Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company updated
Postcard view of the East Salamanca shops circa 1905. These shops would get an extensive upgrade in 1917. |
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The Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company updated
A view inside the roundhouse at East Salamanca circa 1920. Pacific locomotive 603 closest to the photographer. It appears the fire lighter has her steamed up nicely for a days work. |
The Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company posted five photos with the comment: East Salamanca in the earliest days. These postcard scenes were all taken right around 1904 when the yard was built. The headline for the Salamanca Newspaper read “East Salamanca Born”. Prior to the building of this yard, the place was known as S&B Junction, named for the connection of the Salamanca Branch, the former Rochester and State Line RR mainline, with the extension of the mainline south to Bradford built in 1883 by the Rochester and Pittsburgh RR. Originally, the yard, which was proposed to expand marshalling of freight traffic by replacing the smaller yard in Bradford, was to be built at Ashford Junction, but the railroad couldn’t secure the land. So, East Salamanca was chosen for its large, and relatively flat land, offering a good area for locomotive shops and freight car shuffling for various points. There were other reasons for building here. Ashford is basically in the middle of nowhere, while East Salamanca bordered the village of Salamanca (they didn’t get their city charter until 1908), which had a bustling business district along the Erie RR mainline which also included hotels for railroaders, and a good location for expanding the village with new housing for railroad families. For city residents, 1903-04 was one of the busiest periods as the BR&P constructed the yard, and the Erie RR was in the process of building
their large station and office building, which also served as the BR&P terminal in Salamanca until the new BR&P station was built on Main and Rochester Streets in 1912.
The facilities at East Salamanca seen in these postcards include the small wood frame passenger station, the two story office building, which included the dispatchers office, the roundhouse and boiler room, numerous shop structures including the large carpenters shop which, in addition to building wood structures, also fabricated parts for the wooden freight and passenger cars used at the time. There were two water towers, and a long coal trestle for fueling the steam locomotives.
As the yard was being constructed, they also built a large frame YMCA building to house the train crews coming in from Buffalo, Rochester, and southern terminals, mainly Punxsutawney while they laid over until they were ordered on outbound freight trains.
In 1917, federal funding allowed the BR&P to expand the shop facilities and add the large backshop which was located directly across from the station. This also expanded the workforce here. I have written previously about the fire to the dispatchers office in 1912, which led to the removal of the passenger station to the north end of the yard, and the construction of the new station and office building the following year.
Today all that remains is the 1913 passenger station and office building, the main tracks, and a small portion of the Salamanca Branch, which is also a WYE track, used for turning equipment.
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[Note that they had two water towers. They are probably of a standard design and using two avoided a custom design for a larger tower.] |
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The Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company posted
Inside the back shop at East Salamanca in the 1920’s. A 2-8-8-2 Mallet locomotive s in the background on the track that was fitted with Whiting screw hoist jacks to lift the behemoths off their wheels. Although most of the equipment in the shop was powered by electricity, there was also a belt system to run many of the machines. The floor was made of wooden blocks to prevent the damage of dropped tools or parts.
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The Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company posted
Locomotive 522 spotting cinder hoppers on the ash pit tracks at East Salamanca in the 1920’s. In the foreground, the brick locomotive washing basin and water lines can be seen. These were improvements made with the funding provided for the construction project in 1917 that included the new backshop, storehouse, blacksmith shop buildings, and the modification of the roundhouse with expanded stalls for longer locomotives. |
In case they ever reclaim the land, I saved an image of the foundation remnants of the car shop and roundhouse.
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| 1961 Salamanca Quad @ 24,000 |
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| trains, this webpage has several detailed photos of this yard |
Depot
The depot is still standing.
The track side is much more photogenic.
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Stan Carlson posted
Merry Christmas to all of my B&O friends from the hub of the Buffalo Division at East Salamanca NY. May the new year bring all of you good health, happiness and prosperity. |
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Frank Keller Photography posted
Pulling into the depot at Salamanca, NY a pair of SD70Ms leads the daily freight. It looks like the depot is under restoration. I sure hope so. |
It appears the B&O also had a freight house at the end of this little branch.
Paul Osciak
posted three photos with the comment: "One of 2 depots that still stand in what was a very busy RR town, Salamanca, NY. This is the 1912 Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburg station. Now houses the Salamanca Rail Museum and you can also find a very good polish food truck in the parking lot most days."
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Roger Smith
posted two photos with the comment: "East Salamanca was a major depot on the Buffalo Rochester & Pittsburgh/B&O. Today it is a crew change point for the Buffalo & Pittsburgh. Salamanca, NY."
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Stan Carlson commented on Roger's post
The station was built in 1913. My father was an operator there for most of his 38 years on the B&O RR. I worked out of the station as a conductor and engineer. |
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Stan Carlson commented on Roger's post
East Salamanca was a busy terminal throughout most of the 20th century. Three divisions met here, and a connection with the Erie RR kept two yard jobs working three shifts until the 1950’s.
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Stan Carlson commented on Roger's post
East Salamanca was a busy terminal for the BR&P and later, the B&O. Three divisions met here, along with a branch that interchanged with the Erie RR. |
This depot and freight house explains why the B&O map has a little line from East Salamanca to Salamanca.
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Stan Carlson posted
A great view of the shop facilities at East Salamanca in 1968. The backshop on the right had 8 stalls. The storehouse on the left supplied three divisions. The blacksmith shop is behind the storehouse, left center. Below the chimney for the powerhouse, the remnants of a 31 stall roundhouse can be seen. It had a 90’ turntable that was just large enough to turn the KK-4b 2-6-6-2 mallets. On the right is the Diesel fueling rack. My earliest memories of the B&O were at about this time. All of the structures and track are gone now. |
Stan Carlson
posted five photos with the comment: "Scenes around the old yard office at East Salamanca yard. The building was originally built as a passenger station in 1904 when the BR&P was building the yard there. Alongside was a wooden two story dispatchers office. In May 1912, the dispatchers office caught fire and was completely destroyed. The dispatcher and operator had to jump from 2nd story windows to survive. So, since the station was unscathed, and since the BR&P needed a new office, they moved the passenger station to the north end of the yard and added the tower to make it a yard office. In the meantime, the railway built the new brick passenger station and office building on the original location. The yard office was razed in 1980."
The Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company
shared with the comment: "Something I put together for the B&O guys."
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